


Followers Of Suffering

by Ilerre



Series: The Walking Dead Prompts - Dixoncest / Dixcest [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 19:08:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4491294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilerre/pseuds/Ilerre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was too much white in Daryl's eyes as his trembling fingers holding the compress dabbed at Merle's wrist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Followers Of Suffering

**Author's Note:**

> **Two prompts submitted by Higgystar:  
>  Daryl being overprotective of Merle for a change. Maybe Merle comes back from Atlanta injured or something and Daryl looks after him in his own way.  
> Merle manhandling his baby brother in front of others. Nothing sexual or anything, but I always thought the Dixon brothers should have been more hands on, maybe just playful wrestling or sibling things that brothers do. I’ve always liked the idea of Merle still being able to pick Daryl up. ******

0

There was too much white in Daryl's eyes as his trembling fingers held the compress and dabbed at Merle's wrist. The kid was tensed, his entire body so rigid Merle was afraid he'd break if he touched it. His jaw was clenched hard, for a brief moment, Merle was afraid he'd crack a tooth by the sheer pressure. He stared at Daryl as he poured more whisky on a new compress and hissed loudly when the kid unceremoniously pressed it against his wound. 

"Goddammit, Dare," he snapped. 

Daryl barely looked up, but the violence, the anger in his ice blue eyes was enough to make Merle clench his teeth and suck it up.

The silence was heavy, broken only by Daryl zipping open their first aid kit and using his Zippo to heat a needle and prepare to stitch the gash on Merle's wrist. 

"C'mon," Merle hissed when the needle pierced his skin. "I know you're angry, but don't—" he stopped and looked away, shoulders slumping. 

Daryl didn't stop but softened his touch, deft hands not trembling anymore as they swiftly stitched Merle back together. They were silent until Daryl finished his work, then wrapped the wound in clean gauze. Merle rubbed his sweaty forehead with a slightly trembling hands and gazed at Daryl putting the supplies away. He felt his shoulder slump and swallowed remorsefully. "I'm sorry."

Daryl was silent, and it was a long moment before he sat back on his haunches to look up at Merle in the eyes. "Damn right ya are," he finally exploded, quick as a snake hitting Merle in the shoulder with a painful punch. 

Merle grunted but didn't say anything, he didn't believe Daryl would listen anyway, not right now. The kid was too raw, too scared still, to think rationally and accept anything more than Merle's weak excuses. He pressed his lips together and sighed, looking away, when Daryl sniffed and angrily rubbed his damp eyes. 

"Aw, c'mon," he sighed, reaching his uninjured arm to grab Daryl. The kid struggled, placed a few good punch in Merle's stomach and arms before letting himself fall on his brother chest, struggling to breathe through the start of a panic attack. "Calm down, baby," Merle whispered in his hair. "C'mon, deep breath, you're okay. You're okay, I'm here. I'm okay, Dare, I'm okay." 

Daryl shuddered violently against him and wrapped his arms around Merle, burying his damp face in his neck. "Ya was gonna leave me, asshole," he sobbed. "Ya was gonna leave me." 

Merle wrapped him tight in his arms and gently put his brother on his laps, kissing his neck and the side of his head repeatedly. "Nah, baby," he whispered, wincing slightly as he jostled his wounded arm. "I'll never leave ya," he promised quietly, echoing the familiar promise he's made to a small six years old covered in bruises and blood so many years ago. 

Daryl made a sound in the back of his throat and kept trembling in his arms for a long moment, the two brothers silent and contemplating. It took a long while for Daryl to calm down, but he finally stirred and rubbed his face against Merle's chest, pushing his brother to lie down on their makeshift bed in the tent. "Ya need to rest," he muttered, awkwardly shifting the blankets and covers they used to sleep on. He ran trembling fingers on Merle's cheek when he was satisfied his brother was comfortable and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I'mma go get some water, yeah?" he whispered and rubbed his cheek against Merle's in an affectionate caress. 

Merle chuckled and hummed under his breath as he shifted his head to place a chaste kiss on Daryl's mouth. "Don't go doin' anythin' stupid, kid." 

Daryl made a face and pursed his lips as he huffed, grabbing his bow and strapping it on his back. "Dunno what you're talkin' 'bout," he muttered under his breath as he stood and exited the tent in one quick movement. 

0

Merle didn't know if he'd doze off or not, but he was jerked out of his semi consciousness by angry voices, and the inexorable sound of flesh hitting flesh. He stood quickly, rushing out of the tent, half buttoning his shirt in his rush. Their tent was a bit away from the camp and he started running when the voices continued screaming at each other, his little brother's right in the middle of it. 

When he arrived, the cops and Daryl were facing each other, and his brother was being held back by that black dude and the Asian kid, while Walsh was being held back by Grimes and the black haired woman the two men were apparently banging. What stopped Merle was Grimes's bloodied nose, clearly broken and already starting to swell. 

"Ya touch my brother 'gain 'n I'll fuckin' kill ya!" Daryl growled as he trashed between the men holding him. 

Walsh lunched forward but Grimes pushed him back. "Calm down, Shane!" he yelled in his face. 

Walsh groaned and wrenched himself away from the cop and the woman before taking several angry steps back, running his hands through his hair in an effort to calm down. 

Grimes stared at his partner for a moment, probably trying to gauge his behavior and if he was suddenly going to jump on Daryl again, but Walsh just took several deep breath, back turned to them with his hands on his hips. 

Merle turned back to look at his brother, and suddenly glared. "Hey," he snapped causing everyone's head to turn in his direction, "hands off my baby brother."

T-Dog and Glenn let Daryl go suddenly, as if he was burning, and stepped back away from him quickly, afraid to anger the second Dixon brother. 

Merle ignored them and quickly strode to his brother, grabbing him by the waist when the kid suddenly threw himself toward the cop. "Daryl!" he yelled, lifting him off the ground and taking a few steps away from Grimes. "Will ya fuckin' calm down?" he groaned. When it didn't seem to calm Daryl, Merle turned him around and wrapped his arm around waist and the other around his neck in a chokehold. He didn't like using his height and bigger body strength on his brother, but he didn't have a choice. Daryl was too volatile, too strung up to think coherently, and Merle couldn't have them throw out of the camp. 

He felt Daryl weaver under his hold, his legs giving out under him and Merle followed him to the ground, the arm around his waist tightening but the one around his neck slackening. "Okay?" he whispered calmly in his hear. "Yeah?"

Daryl hummed and patted the arm around his neck, half telling Merle to let go, half apologizing for the scratches he'd left there. Merle kissed the side of his head and freed him, shifting to wrap his free arm around Daryl's chest. "Breathe, baby," he muttered in his hear.      

It took about two minutes before Merle felt the anxiety and tightness completely leave Daryl's body. "Okay," Daryl nodded jerkily, hands pressed flat on Merle's tighs pressing against his hips. "I'm calm," he assured. 

Merle nearly snorted, because he just knew his baby brother by heart, and there was no fucking way the kid was calm. He still accepted it for what it was and stood with Daryl still in his arms. Daryl turned around, and stared intently in Merle's eyes, before looking down in shame and embarrassment. He bit his thumb and reached an apologetic hand to Merle's wounded wrist. "Sorry, Mer'," he mumbled. "I guess I los' my temper."

Merle bit back a laugh, but just nodded quietly. He turned around and unconsciously put Daryl behind him as he faced Grimes. He pressed his lips together and cleared his throat, not really knowing if he should laugh at the two black shiners starting to appear on the cop's face, or apologize for Daryl's action. Instead, he chose to stay quiet. 

Grimes shuffled his booted feet on the dusty ground and rubbed the back of his neck, tilting his head on the side. "Look," he said in a slow voice, as if he was afraid to start the fight once again. "Look, I'm...sorry, for what I did back in Atlanta. It shouldn't have happened like that." He took a deep breath and grimaced. "I shouldn't have done that."

Merle felt Daryl press against his back and grab a fistful of his shirt, nearly pushing him forward, but years of being in each other's pocket had taught Merle to roll with it and act accordingly. "Yeah, well, it's okay," he finally answered the cop when it was clear he wasn't going to say more. Daryl snorted behind him but he ignored it. "I shouldn't 'ave been actin' like a jerk." Daryl snorted once again but this time, Merle sneaked an arm behind him and grabbed the kid by the waist, pushing him against his side and gently caressing his hip under his shirt. "The kid's sorry too," he assured with a firm nod, "ain't ya?" he asked as he looked his brother in the eyes. Daryl opened his mouth to clearly say something to refute his words, but Merle was quick to press his hand over his mouth. "Shut it," he growled. "'n say 'sorry'." 

Daryl narrowed his eyes at him and bit his finger to get his hand away. Used to that, Merle didn't even react and looked pointedly at his brother. "C'mon, baby," he whispered. 

Daryl sighed and looked away but relented when Merle pinched his hip and tightened his arm around his waist. "I'm sorry," he grimaced as if in pain. 

Grimes and Merle exchanged a look and briefly nodded at each other before parting ways, and Merle dragged Daryl behind him to their tent.

He wasn't angry, couldn't be really, and they both knew that. The bond between them was too strong, too physical for one of them not to lose their minds when the other was in pain. Daryl had reacted just like they always did when one of them was hurting, and truth be told, Merle knew himself too much, and he wouldn't have stopped at just breaking Grimes's nose if Daryl had been the one left on the rooftop. 

No, if it had been the other way around, Merle wasn't sure anyone would still be alive in this camp. 

Daryl was his, his, and his alone. He was his little brother, his baby, his soulmate. 

And no one was ever going to take that away from him. 

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**Author's Note:**

> This work is unbetaed. Please feel free to point any typos you saw or missing words, or any sentences that just don't make any sense :)
> 
> [SUBMIT A PROMPT HERE](http://hillbells.tumblr.com/submit)


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